2011 Missions

Many teams and incident base staff have participated in the following missions. In our area there are other great teams that regularly participate in missions. What we have reported here is what we saw and in no way do we intend to take full credit for any of these missions.

Mission #: 11-12-02
Date: January 30, 2011
Location: Gila National Forest near Aldo Leopold Vista Picnic Area on Highway 180
Subjects: Male Driver of Vehicle

Socorro SAR responded to a mission to locate a single male subject who had been missing for 18 days. The subject's vehicle was found near mile marker 63 on January 10th or 11th. SSAR team members and other SAR volunteers search the area around where the subject's vehicle was found. The search started at 08:00 hours was concluded just before noon when the subject was found deceased by a dog team from Las Cruces.

News Article and Additional Photos from Grant County SAR

Mission #: 11-11-02
Date: May 21, 2011
Location: UTM 13S 0291643E by 3801907N
Subjects: One Male and One Female Hiker

Subjects were part of a UNM field study class doing geologic mapping who failed to return to group campsite at 18:00 hrs 5/21/11.  PLS was on a steep ridge at 17:15 hrs about .75 miles from group campsite.  IB established next to group campsite at 05:00 hrs and two ground teams and two ATV teams assigned by 07:00 hrs to begin searching at PLS and nearby roads.  NMSP 606 arrived 08:30 and began aerial search west from PLS in a 3 mile wide swath.  NMSP 606 departed search area 09:45 to refuel and return later.  Around 10:30 hrs the male subject was observed through binocular by a UNM faculty member on a ridgeline northeast of group camp about .75 miles away.  ATV teams dispatched to find subjects, report their condition and location and then transport them back to IB.  Subjects returned to IB at 11:40 hrs, debriefed, examined by EMTB and then released.